An Illinois Rule To Show Cause-Failure To appear (Citation) is a legal document issued by a court in the state of Illinois when a person fails to appear for a court hearing or other court-ordered event. This document is a summons directing the person to appear and explain why they failed to appear for the hearing or event. If the person does not appear, they may be subject to arrest, fines, and/or other penalties. There are two types of Illinois Rule To Show Cause-Failure To appear (Citation): criminal and civil. A criminal citation is issued when a person fails to appear for a criminal trial, while a civil citation is issued when a person fails to appear for a civil court proceeding.